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In the Heart of the Church |
Letter to the Priests
On the Occasion of the Year of the Priesthood
Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo,
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Dear Priests,
The
Year of Priesthood, announced by our beloved Pope Benedict XVI to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly Curé of
Ars, St. John Mary Vianney, is drawing near. It will be inaugurated
by the Holy Father on the 19th June, the feast of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of
Priests. The announcement of the Year of Priesthood has been very
warmly received, especially amongst priests themselves. Everyone
wants to commit themselves with determination, sincerity and fervor
so that it may be a year amply celebrated in the whole world – in
the Dioceses, parishes and in every local community – with the warm
participation of our Catholic people who undoubtedly love their
priests and want to see them happy, holy and joyous in their daily
apostolic labors.
It must be a year that is both positive and forward looking in which
the Church says to her priests above all, but also to all the
Faithful and to wider society by means of the mass media, that she
is proud of her priests, loves them, honors them, admires them and
that she recognizes with gratitude their pastoral work and the
witness of the their life. Truthfully priests are important not only
for what they do but also for who they are. Sadly, it is true that
at the present time some priest have been shown to have been
involved in gravely problematic and unfortunate situations. It is
necessary to investigate these matters, pursue judicial processes
and impose penalties accordingly. However, it is also important to
keep in mind that these pertain to a very small portion of the
clergy. The overwhelming majority of priests are people of great
personal integrity, dedicated to the sacred ministry; men of prayer
and of pastoral charity, who invest their entire existence in the
fulfillment of their vocation and mission, often through great
personal sacrifice, but always with an authentic love towards Jesus
Christ, the Church and the people, in solidarity with the poor and
the suffering. It is for this reason that the Church is proud of her
priests wherever they may be found.
May this year be an occasion for a period of intense appreciation of
the priestly identity, of the theology of the Catholic priesthood,
and of the extraordinary meaning of the vocation and mission of
priests within the Church and in society. This will require
opportunities for study, days of recollection, spiritual exercises
reflecting on the Priesthood, conferences and theological seminars
in our ecclesiastical faculties, scientific research and respective
publications.
The Holy Father, in announcing the Year in his allocution on the
16th March last to the Congregation for the Clergy during its
Plenary Assembly, said that with this special year it is intended
“to encourage priests in this striving for spiritual perfection on
which, above all, the effectiveness of their ministry depends”. For
this reason it must be, in a very special way, a year of prayer by
priests, with priests and for priests, a year for the renewal of the
spirituality of the presbyterate and of each priest. The Eucharist
is, in this perspective, at the heart of priestly spirituality. Thus
Eucharistic adoration for the sanctification of priests and the
spiritual motherhood of religious women, consecrated and lay women
towards priests, as previously proposed some time ago by the
Congregation for the Clergy, could be further developed and would
certainly bear the fruit of sanctification.
May it also be a year in which the concrete circumstances and the
material sustenance of the clergy will be considered, since they
live, at times, in situations of great poverty and hardship in many
parts of the world.
May it be a year as well of religious and of public celebration
which will bring the people – the local Catholic community – to
pray, to reflect, to celebrate, and justly to give honor to their
priests. In the ecclesial community a celebration is a very cordial
event which expresses and nourishes Christian joy, a joy which
springs from the certainty that God loves us and celebrates with us.
May it therefore be an opportunity to develop the communion and
friendship between priests and the communities entrusted to their
care.
Many other aspects and initiatives could be mentioned that could
enrich the Year of Priesthood, but here the faithful ingenuity of
the local churches is called for. Thus, it would be good for every
Dioceses and each parish and local community to establish, at the
earliest opportunity, an effective program for this special year.
Clearly it would be important to begin the Year with some notable
event. The local Churches are invited on the 19th June next, the
same day on which the Holy Father will inaugurate the Year of
Priesthood in Rome, to participate in the opening of the Year,
ideally by some particular liturgical act and festivity. Let those
who are able most surely come to Rome for the inauguration, to
manifest their own participation in this happy initiative of the
Pope.
God will undoubtedly bless with great love this undertaking; and the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Clergy, will pray for each of you,
dear priests.
Cláudio Cardinal Hummes
Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo
Prefect, Congregation for the Clergy.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
